Forged wheel



Sept 4, 1951 c. HoLLERlTH 2,566,663

FORGED WHEEL Filed Dec. 11, 1947 [HARA E5' HM 5 yl/TH 5&3 M5L/4%Patented sept. 2i, i951 FORGED WHEEL Charles Hollerith, Jackson. Mich.,assignor. by mesne assignments. to The B. F. Goodrich Company, Akron,Ollio, a corporationoi' New York pplication December l1, 1847, SerialNo. 790,946

This invention relates to wheel structures and in particular to wheelstructures intended for use on aircraft. e

An object of the invention is to provide an improved wheel constructionwhich is particularly suitable to form an aircraft wheel and whichinvolves the use of the minimum number of component parts, the assemblyof which can be accomplished in a simple yet eiiicient manner.

The invention also has for its object to provide a forged or die castwheel composed of adjacent sections which form the Wheel rim and hub aswell as the radial connecting webs therefor and which sections areadequately supported against the bursting forces or loads imposedthereon by the tire.

'I'he invention also has for its object to provide a wheel structurecomposed of a pair of adiacent wheel sections connected together so thatthe one section can be readily displaced laterally and removed if andwhen required, the other section serving to'carry the wheel brake drum.

These and other objects and advantages residing in the construction,arrangement and combination of the several parts constituting the wheelconstruction will be more apparent from a consideration of the followingdescription and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. I is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view through a wheelstructure in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. II is a similar view to Fig. I but of a modiiied wheel constructionin accordance with the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like parts have been given the same referencenumerals, and referring rst to Fig. I a wheel structure is composed oftwo adjacent forged or die cast sections of which the one section isformed to provide an outer rim forming circumferential flange I joinedby a radial web 2 with an inner hub forming circumferential flange 3,the two said flanges being also joined and reinforced by a series ofcircumferentially spaced radial ribs 4 extending axially with respect tothe resulting wheel section.

The outer edge of the rim forming flange I is formed with an outwardlydirected tire retaining flange 5 formed at circumferentially spacedintervals with a series of -lugs 6 and at its opposite end this flange Iis formed with an externally screw-threaded portion 1. The hub formingflange 8 on the other hand is formed on 1 Claim. (Cl. 301-6) itsinterior surface, at the inner end thereof, with a rabbet 8 providing aradially stepped cylindrical surface 8, while at its outer end thisflange is thickened. las indicated at I0, and is rabbeted adjacentthereto. as indicated at II, to provide for the mounting of the wheelhub bearings.

The other wheel forming section is formed to provide an outercircumferential flange I2 which extends from opposite sides of a radialweb I3 .which joins the flange I2 with the inner circumferential and hubforming flange Il of this wheel section. At its inner end and on itsexterior surface this ilange Il is formed with a rabbet which provides acircumferential cy' lindrical surface I8. 0n its interior surface thisflange Il is thickened,-as indicated at I1, and is rabbeted adjacentthereto to provide for the accommodation of the hub bearings at this endof the hub.

The rim forming flange I2 is formed on its interior surface with ascrew-threaded portion I 8 with which the correspondingly screw-threadedportion 1 of the other wheel section is engageable to secure the twowheel sections together at the same time as the cylindrical surfaces 8and I8 of the opposed hub forming flanges are telescoped with respect toone another.

The rim forming flange I2 on its outer edge is formed with the othertire retaining flange I8 which is also preferably formed withcircumferentially spaced strengthening lugs 2li.

The web I3 serves to support a brake drum 2I secured in position bybolts 22 and nuts 23, which latter are normally accommodated within theenclosed annular space 24 formed between the laterally spaced webs I8and 2 of the wheel sections.

With a. wheel constructed as shown in Fig. I the advantage is obtainedthat the forces imposed upon the tire retaining flanges 5 and I8 by thetire are adequately absorbed by the continuous screw-threaded connectionafforded at 1 and I8 by the thus connected wheel sections. Thisconstruction also assures maintenance of cylindrical shape andconcentricity of the rim and hub and of the piloted interfittingsurfaces due to the close positioning of the webs of the wheel sectionsto these interfitting portions and provides a structure in which onewheel section is relatively short in the axial direction as compared tothe other wheel section. Also the wheel construction is simple andpermits of easy manufacture. Further it is readily possible for the onewheel section, comprising the rim flange i and the hub ilange 3.together with its interconnecting web 2, to be completely detached fromthe other wheel section without disturbing the wheel brake. y

Referring now to the other wheel construction as shown in Fig. II theopposed radial web 2a and l3a of the separately formed and laterallyadjacent wheel body sections la and l2a are brought into contactingrelationship and are so held together by a series of circumferentiallyspaced and axially extending bolts 25 passed through axiallyaligned-bores inthe opposed said webs. These bores extend also throughthickened boss portions 26, 26a of the webs I 3a and 2a respectively andthe bolts have screw-threaded extremities 21 which project into thecavities deilned by the ribs 28 in the Wheel sections la and serve toreceive the securing nuts 29.

Each wheel section is formed to provide a complementary rim portionaround its outer periph-4 ery and a complementary hub portion around itsinner periphery, as is clearly shown in the drawing, while the one wheelsection l2a is also formed with an annular flange portion 30 theinterior diameter of which corresponds with the exterior diameter of theweb 2a and which ange serves as a guide to locate or pilot the two wheelsections in their proper radial positions relatively to each other,whereafter it .only becomes necessary to align the said bores for theintroduction of the securing bolts 25.

. A brake drum 3l is carried upon the outside of the web i3a and isconveniently secured to the latter by its engagement by the bolt heads32.

Having thus d my invention, what I claim as novel is:

A sectional wheel structure comprising a pair of complementary wheelsections each having an outer annular flange deiinlng the rim and anvinner annular iiange deilning the hub, one of said wheel sections beingrelatively short in axial direction as compared to the other wheelsection. radial webs connecting said flanges of each section anddisposed in relatively close proximity to one another and to one side ofthe center plane oi the wheel by virtue of the unsymmetrlcal dispositionthereof in the axial direction of the wheel, radial ribs extendingbetween the linner and outer annular anges of one of said annulus.

CHARLES HOLLERITI-I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,105,317 Frank Jan. 11, 19382,407,423 Hollerith Sept. 10, 1946

